WORLD COMBAT GRAPPLING

MODERN SPORT FIGHTING

STRIKE – CLINCH – THROW – GRAPPLE

Created By James and Ron Hill, WCGA/USACGA Founders

I.         Description: World Combat Grappling will look to bring together many systems of combat such as Jiu-Jitsu, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, Pankration, Hand to Hand Fighting, Karate, Kickboxing, San Da, Muay Thai and more. The rules allow for each style to shine in their respective strengths while evolving to the modern ideals of combat. The plan was to find a link to give athletes from diverse backgrounds a platform to showcase martial skill and warrior spirit in a safe environment. The rules were created with the four main elements of combat in mind (Strike-Clinch-Throw-Grapple).

II.      Athletes:

A.      Uniform: All competitors must wear a rash guard or bare chest (Males), and grappling shorts. All shorts must not have pockets or contain any hard material that could be a hazard to self or others. Red and Blue bands will be provided by tournament coordinator to distinguish competitors from one another in scoring. Shorts, may be gripped during the competition. No wrestling shoes are allowed.

B.      Safety Equipment: All competitors must wear a mouthpiece, approved mixed martial arts gloves, and shin/instep guards. Males must also wear a groin cup. Groin protector and breast guards are optional for females. Safety equipment may not be gripped during the competition.

C.      Appearance/Hygiene: Competitor uniforms should be clean and in good order. They must be dry and free from unpleasant odors. Jewelry and prosthesis may not be worn. Fingernails should be neatly trimmed, and free of jagged edges. Long hair should be maintained by braiding or wrapping. Hair should not contain any oily or greasy materials.

D.     Conduct: Athletes should carry themselves in a professional manner. Poor conduct may result in disqualification from the competition at the Center Referee’s discretion. If poor conduct is minor, but notable, a Yellow Card will be issued. If it is beyond that level, according to Center Referee, and Red Card will be issued, ejecting the competitor from the competition. The following are considered to be in violation of the WCGA/USACGA code of ethics:

1.       The use of profanity or aggression towards any person or thing present,

2.       Throwing objects,

3.       Physical contact with anyone present, other than with opponent, during the match,

4.       Arguing with or threatening the staff during the match.

III.      Coaches: The coach’s job is to guide, protect, and act on behalf of the athlete. Coaches should be a second set of eyes for their athlete, working to guide them to victory. Additionally, the coach, knowing their athlete best, should throw in the towel, if he/she feels their athlete is in imminent danger.

A.      Conduct:

1.       The Coach’s conduct follows the same rules as the athlete’s.

2.       The Coach should serve as the reasonable representative of an upset athlete, and not further fuel the fire.

3.       It is the responsibility of the coach to handle discrepancies in a calm, professional manner. Otherwise, he/she can too be Yellow and/or Red Carded.

B.      Coach is responsible for any equipment needed by the athlete to compete.

C.      Coach is responsible for replacing athlete’s uniform if it becomes excessively soiled, or torn.

D.     Coach is responsible for any other coach’s materials necessary (ie. Water, towel, etc.).

IV.    Event Personnel:

A.      Medical Personnel: shall be provided by the event coordinator. The medical personnel shall step in to aide with injury or bleeding. If a medical personnel determines that a competitor may not continue, the match is over.

B.      Referee/Judges:

1.       Composition – One Center Referee and three Judges.

2.       Uniform

i)         Center Referee - Red wrist band (Right wrist) and Blue wrist band (Left wrist), surgical gloves, black polo, black pants, and black sport shoes.

ii)       Judges - Black polo, black pants, and black sport shoes.

C.      Center Referee Duties:

1.       Shake hands with the athletes before and after competition,

2.       Inspect the competitor uniforms and equipment,

3.       Leave adequate room for athletes to strike, and maintain a close proximity during ground phase,

4.       Change position to gain better view of potential submission, and step in to prevent injury if athlete is in imminent danger,

5.       Control the competition area to ensure the safety of athletes, patrons, and staff,

6.       Maintain focus on athletes during periods of “Action,”

7.       Not obstruct the view of the side judges,

8.       Use verbal commands to control the match flow, and provide warnings and directions to athletes,

9.       Make sure that “time out” periods are justified and not an excuse to rest,

10.   Break action to call penalties, prevent injury, attend to injury, prevent athletes from extending beyond safety area of the mat, or when an athlete taps out,

11.   Break action when time is called by timekeeper,

12.   Stop time when there is an extended break in the action, such as a necessary time out period or injury time,

13.   Keep athletes on the mat until a winner is determined,

14.   Announce the winner.

D.     Judge Duties

1.       Control the mat perimeter, ensuring that only authorized personnel enters the competition area,

2.       Ensure that coaches are following the rules of conduct,

3.       Monitor the match to determine an unbiased score for the match,

4.       Completely fill out scoring sheets provided by event coordinator.

5.       All Judges will score the bout according to the Max 3 Scoring

System^© in the event that the regulation time has ended with no winner.

E.      Table Staff

1.       Time Keeper

i)         Maintain accurate regulation time,

ii)       Maintain accurate injury time as needed,

iii)      Maintain accurate overtime period if needed,

iv)     Stop and start stop watch according to Center Referee needs.

2.       Bracket Manager

i)         Advance athletes in the bracket,

ii)       Determine match and bracket order,

iii)      Announce competitors up, on deck, and in the hole.

V.      The Competition:

A.      Bracketing: Bracketing will either follow a simple single elimination bracket or a modified double elimination bracket. Both brackets are available at the website (www.usacombatgrappling.com).

B.      Weigh-Ins: Weigh-ins may be conducted the night before competition or the day of. The weigh-in access should be limited to athletes, coaches, referees and staff. Athletes may weigh in shorts. They may also check weight on official scale prior to official weigh-in. There will be a 1 pound allowance given to athletes.

C.      Divisions:

1.       Athletes may be required to prove age at the request of event staff.

2.       Youth and Teens (5 -17 Years):

i)         To be determined based on tournament attendance.

ii)       Age: Should not exceed 3 years accept in adult divisions.

iii)      Gender: Combined until age 14+

iv)     Weight: Should not exceed 15 lbs.

3.       Adult Weight Classes (18+ Years):

i)         Adult Men (18+):

(a)     Kilos: Under 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90, 110, 110+

(b)    Pounds: Under 132, 143, 154, 165, 176, 198, 242, 242+

ii)       Adult Women (18+):

(a)     Under 50, 55, 60, 65, 75, 75+

(b)    Pounds: Under 110, 121, 132, 143, 165, 165+

4.       Competition Levels:

i)         Junior: Striking to the body and grappling with ground strikes to the body and submissions. (No Head Gear Required)

ii)       Cadet: Striking to the body, grappling with ground strikes to the body, and submissions. (No Head Gear Required)

iii)      Contender: Striking to head and body with head gear while standing. Grappling with ground strikes to the body ONLY, and submissions. (Head Gear Required)

iv)     Amateur: Striking to the head and body with head gear. Grappling and ground strikes to the head and body with submissions. (Head Gear Required)(Full Contact Competition).

v)       Professional: Full rules (Universal MMA Rules).

5.       Skill Classes:

i)         Beginner - 18 months experience or less.

ii)       Intermediate - Between 18 months to 36 months experience.

iii)      Advanced - Over 36 months experience.

iv)     Open Skill Classes may be used for smaller tournaments (Excluding the mix of Pros with any other level.

6.       Match Time:

i)         All matches are 1 round unless overtime is necessary.

ii)       All Youth and Teen – 3 Minutes

iii)      Beginner – 3 Minutes

iv)     Intermediate – 4 Minutes

v)       Advanced – 5 Minutes

vi)     Expert – 6 Minutes

vii)    In open skill class tournaments, 3 minutes shall be used for youth and teens, and 5 minutes for adults.

7.       Competition Setup:

i)         Competition Area

ii)       Matted area of at least 1” Thickness.

iii)      15’X15’ or larger ring with 3’ safety perimeter.

iv)      Red competitor will be to right of the Center Referee and the Blue competitor will be to the left of the Center Referee.

VI.    The Match:

A.      Beginning the Match:

1.       When called, both athletes will stand at the edge of the mat, at their respective sides. Athletes will be called up to 3 consecutive times with 30 second intervals. Once 30 seconds has passed for a 3^rd time, the athlete forfeits the match.

2.       The Center Referee will then call the competitors to their respective center lines and check their uniforms and equipment. Athletes will have up to 2 minutes to acquire the appropriate gear, if the Center Referee finds some or all of their gear to be inadequate. If the time limit is not met, the athlete will lose by forfeit.

3.       When all checks have been completed, the Center Referee will direct athletes to salute to one another by placing the right closed fist over the heart, and then touching forearms.

4.       Center Referee will lastly ask if both competitors are ready, and then announce “Action,” to begin the match.

5.       Breaks in Action: “Break” will be called at any time the Center Referee determines it necessary to stop the action. When break is called, both athletes should immediately cease action and return to their feet with both hands down at their sides, facing the mat table. Competitors will not resume, until the Center Referee calls “Ready” and “Action.”

B.      Out of Bounds:

1.       If either athlete unintentionally steps out of bounds, the match will be stopped and restarted in the center.

i)         If an athlete repeatedly, unintentionally steps out of bounds, passivity will be called by the Center Referee.

ii)       If an athlete intentionally goes out of bounds to flee the match, passivity will be called immediately.

2.       If an athlete is in a submission and intentionally goes out of bounds, they will be considered to have tapped out.

3.       If a submission is in place and the athletes are grounded in the safety perimeter, the match will be allowed to continue until there is a break in action.

C.      Winning the Match:

1.       Submission: Applying a legal submission hold, which results in opponent tapping out, yelling in a manner that suggests he/she is in danger, coach throwing in the sponge, or referee opinion that the submission can not be defended.

2.       Technical Decision: If at anytime during the match, the Center Referee determines that a competitor on the bottom of the top mount position, is receiving undefended strikes, and unable to escape the position. (Center referee will be verbal regarding an athlete’s need to act or improve position).

3.       Decision by Points: If after the regulation time, no one has been declared the winner, victory is given to the athlete who has acquired the most points according to the combined judges’ scores.

4.       Least Infractions: If points are tied at the end of the regulation time period, the athlete with the least amount of infractions will be declared the winner.

5.       Overtime: Overtime is executed when points and infractions are equal. Overtime period will last a total of 1 minute. If there is still no winner by time end, the 3 judges will determine the winner by show of hands.

6.       Forfeit: Forfeit is called, when an athlete, at any time before or during the match, decides to bow out to the opponent. It is also determined, if an athlete fails to appear to the mat for a match, or fails to acquire appropriate equipment by time allotted.

7.       Disqualification: A disqualification victory is determined if a contestant has used all of their infraction or passivity warnings, or is found by the center referee to have executed a malicious infraction.

8.       Scoring (Max3 Scoring System^© - See Attached Scoring System)

D.     Special Notes:

1.       Attacks initiated inside of the boundaries, landing outside of the boundaries are still considered to be valid in scoring.

2.       If during the ground phase a stalemate is reached, the Center Referee has full power to restart competitors from a Standing Neutral Position.

E.      Legal Scoring Targets:

1.       Juniors – Chest, stomach, sides, inner and outer thighs.

2.       Cadet - Chest, stomach, sides, inner and outer thighs.

3.       Contender

i)         Standing – Head, chest, stomach, sides, inner and outer thighs.

ii)       Ground - Chest, stomach, sides, inner and outer thighs.

4.       Amateur – Head, chest, stomach, sides, inner and outer thighs.

5.       Professional – Head, chest, stomach, sides, inner and outer thighs.

F.      Legal Scoring Techniques:

1.       Limited contact punches, kicks and knees to legal scoring targets,

besides amateur and professional divisions. (Head contact includes front and sides when allowed),

2.       Up and down round kicks to inner and outer thighs,

3.       Chokes (Excluding frontal choke or any choke that requires applied pressure to the wind pipe),

4.       Arm Bars,

5.       Shoulder Locks (Key and Hammer),

6.       Straight Ankle Locks,

7.       Knee Bars (Adults Only),

8.       Toe Holds (Adult Intermediate and above Only),

9.       All strikes must be applied with control, and submissions with applied pressure.

10.   Wild striking or unsafe submissions will result in disqualification.

G.     Illegal Techniques and Behaviors:

1.       Excessive contact of any kind or applying submissions in a fast, uncontrolled manner,

2.       Striking head in the youth and lower non-head contact events, neck, throat, groin, joints, spine, or foot stomping (Knee or kick to head due to a concurrent shot will be judged by all 3 referees as an infraction or accidental injury),

3.       Elbow strikes of any kind,

4.       No knees permitted to the head,

5.       Head butting,

6.       Straight line up or down kicks including axe kicks and stomps,

7.       Throws or takedowns causing an athlete to land on head or neck (Spiking),

8.       Throws or takedowns while joint locking,

9.       Neck cranking,

10.   Biting, pulling, pinching or scratching skin,

11.   Small joint manipulation (Must have 4 fingers or toes),

12.   Eye, ears or nose gouging, fish hooking, or chin ripping,

13.   Open palm across front area of face,

14.   Slamming from Guard position or back splashing,

15.   Attacks to the groin,

16.   Pulling hair,

17.   Pressure points,

18.   Heel hooking,

19.   Putting fingers into any orifice of the body,

20.   Applying slippery or sticky substances to any part of the body or uniform,

21.   Holding a submission after referee calls the match,

22.   Striking after “Break” has been called,

23.   Not defending oneself,

24.   Poor sportsmanship or use of profanity towards any individual.

H.      Illegal Action Penalties:

1.       1^st Offense – 1 Point Deduction from total match score.

2.       2^nd Offense – Disqualification from match.

3.       Minor Infraction – Referee may offer a warning at his/her discretion for minor infraction.

4.       Severe Infraction - Immediate disqualification from match or tournament at center referee’s discretion.

I.         Passivity Penalties:

1.       Passivity Includes:

i)         Delay of action for any reason,

ii)       Leaving competition area without permission,

iii)      Calling “time out” unnecessarily,

iv)     Turning around to avoid a strike,

v)       Running away from opponent,

vi)     Exiting the mat to avoid the match (Standing and on the ground),

2.       1^st Offense – Verbal Warning (Called by Center Referee by stating “Blue or Red Action,” and raising the wrist band of the person being passive.)

3.       2^nd Offense – Verbal Warning (Called by Center Referee by stating “Blue or Red Action,” and raising the wrist band of the person being passive.)

4.       3^rd Offense – Disqualification from match.

J.       Injury and Blood Time: If an unintentional action causes an athlete to be injured, the Center Referee will stop the match and the injury clock will be started. The timekeeper is then responsible for ensuring that the 2 minute time limit per athlete, per match, is not exceeded. If the injured athlete does not return to the mat in the allotted time, to continue competition, he/she will lose the match by forfeit.

1.       Proper disinfection and cleaning materials should be available at the scoring table, for proper cleanup of body fluids including, but not limited to, blood.

2.       It will be at the discretion of the medical staff as to whether or not the competitor may continue the match.

3.       Match may only continue after any bodily fluids have been cleaned from the competition area. If uniform becomes bloodied or torn, it is the responsibility of the athlete to provide a backup.

4.       If an athlete fakes injury to escape defeat, the Center Referee will disqualify the athlete.

5.       If injury is caused due to an illegal technique and the injured athlete is unable to continue, the athlete at fault will be disqualified.

6.       If both athletes are injured simultaneously, resulting in neither athlete being able to continue, the winner is determined by judges’ scores, based on the time expended.

K.      Protest: Each coach is permitted 1 protest per match regarding infractions only. If the coach feels that an infraction given is unjust, or that an infraction should be given against the opponent, they may call for protest. The protest must be entered immediately by throwing in the sponge and yelling “Protest.” At the time that a protest is called the 3 judges will convene to determine if the protest is just. If the protest is just, the coach will again have the protest to use. Otherwise, the protest is lost.

L.       Event Team Rankings:

1.       Promoters, at their discretion, may give team awards to the team scoring the most points, but are required to tally scores for National and International Team Rankings.

2.       Only USACGA Member Teams may be ranked in WCG.

3.       Each competitor to place within the top 3 will receive points according to the scale below. The total team points will be added to determine 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place Teams for an event.

i)         Beginner: 1^st = 3, 2^nd = 2, 3^rd =1

ii)       Intermediate: 1^st = 4, 2^nd = 3, 3^rd = 2

iii)      Advanced: 1^st = 5, 2^nd = 4, 3^rd = 3

iv)     Expert: 1^st = 6, 2^nd = 5, 3^rd = 4

v)       Open Skill: 1^st = 7, 2^nd = 6, 3^rd = 5

MAX 3 SCORING SYSTEM^©

Revolutionizing Martial Arts Scoring

 

Goals of the System:

1. Create a more comprehensive scoring system, more understandable to the public.
2. Decrease human bias in scoring, when compared to the 10-point must system currently used in Mixed Martial Arts, Kickboxing, and Boxing.
3. Create a more accurate scoring representation of the match.
4. Hold judges more accountable to their match scoring.
5. Foster a faster paced match.

 

The Mixed Fighting System:

            The match scoring is broken down into 2 Major Phases: Standup (Striking, clinch, throws and takedowns), and Ground (Striking and grappling on the ground). These phases generally determine the match winner, but are combined into one, often scrutinized, score in the 10-point must system. In the Max 3 Scoring System^© each phase is scored separately, giving a deeper look into the decisions made by judges, and helping decrease bias in scoring.

1. The standup phase includes standup striking (Punching, kneeing, and kicking), clinch, throws, and takedowns.
2. The ground phase includes striking and grappling executed while on the ground.
3. Each phase can score a competitor a maximum of 3 points and a minimum of 1 point. The maximum match score is 6 (On a single judges card) if a competitors bests their opponent in both phases.
4. A 3-3 would be scored if neither athlete has done enough to significantly win a phase. A 3-2 would be scored if an athlete beats his opponent, but is not completely dominant. A 3-1 would be scored if an athlete dominates his opponent in a given phase.

 

Examples:

Competitor A:

Better Standup, Better Ground = 3, 3 = 6

Competitor B:

Lesser Standup, Lesser Ground = 2, 2 = 4

 

Competitor A:

Dominant Standup, Better Ground = 3, 3 = 6

Competitor B:

Dominated in Standup, Lesser Ground = 1, 2 = 3

 

Competitor A:

Dominant Standup, Lesser Ground = 3, 2 = 5

Competitor B:

Dominated in Standup, Better Ground = 1, 3 = 4

 

Competitor A:

Dominant Standup, Dominant Ground = 3, 3 = 6

Competitor B:

Dominated in Standup, Dominated on Ground = 1, 1 = 2